Patek Philippe The world’s best-regarded watch brand is actually fairly discreet. A Patek – prices start at £10,260 in part because they’re only made from precious metals – says as much about its owner’s restrained good taste as it does about his income bracket. Both the watch’s reliability – and its resale value – are assured.

Swatch (far right) Among Swatch’s millions of ­customers there are rich men who are so confident that they are happy to wear a demure £30 watch under their £3,000 bespoke suit, because they have no need to make a statement with their watch – presumably they find their portfolio of luxury brands, and their art collection, tells its own story.

ToyWatch The genius of ToyWatch, and ­competitors such as Triwa, is to turn its customer’s inability to afford a ­luxury watch into a fashion virtue. The panache built into these colourful but cheap designs, with prices starting at around £100, makes it entirely forgivable that they are basically ­plastic Rolex look-alikes.

Audemars Piguet Wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, an imposing steel octagonal sports watch that was first designed by Gerald Genta in 1972 for men with hairy chests, makes a statement about both your wealth and your ­alpha-male mindset – Audemars’ most famous fan is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prices start at around £13,000 and head up into six figures.

TAG Heuer For many men a TAG is their first ­expensive watch. The brand, which has a peerless history of motorsport involvement, retains a sporty aura that gives these entry-level luxury watches a go-getting image. Popular with ambitious young executives, prices start at around £1,250 for the covetable Carrera